I know I'm seriously late with this update, sorry about that. I've got a lot going on though, so that's bound to happen now and again. Thank you everyone who's still reading and thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter and for any reviews on this one.


Emily held an arm around her stomach as she slid one foot down to the next step, her other foot following after several seconds rest. It hurt and it was annoyingly slow, but it wasn't awful. The sutures in her stomach had been removed yesterday, nine days after her surgery, and though it was obvious she'd have a scar, it at least looked like it wouldn't be a bad one. The doctor had cleared her for taking the stairs yesterday too, though he had warned her to take it easy. And she realized when she got to the bottom of the steps and had to stop for a break, the man had a point.

After a couple of minutes, she moved again, a little faster and easier now that she was on even ground. She heard Ian's voice and walked toward the sound. He'd been gone when she woke up this morning, off doing who knew what, and she wanted to see him. As she got closer to the living room, she heard a woman's voice; she was speaking rapidly, her voice tight and high-pitched and when Emily got to the room, she saw the woman's hands worrying a scarf, her right hand moving now and again and waved around as she spoke.

"Lauren, what are you doing down here?" Ian asked, cutting the woman off and walked toward Emily.

"I'm allowed to use the stairs now, remember?"

Ian said nothing, but guided her to the sofa, stopping briefly to introduce her to his agitated female companion. "Lauren Reynolds, Kara O'Connor, McNiall's sister."

Emily held out a hand. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Kara accepted her hand and nodded. "That's why I'm here. Ardan still has debts that I can't pay and Dolan Murphy is threatening to use my children to pay them. I've got five little ones, who don't deserve to pay for their uncle's mistakes."

Ian settled her onto the sofa. "I've been explaining to Mrs. O'Connor that I'm not feeling too inclined help the man who nearly killed you."

"You never paid for those weapons, Mr. Doyle," Kara reminded.

"Oh no? Shall I tally up the costs of Lauren's medical care?"

Her gaze fell toward the ground, and when she looked up again, her eyes were on Emily. "I'm very sorry for what Arlan did to you, Ms. Reynolds and for all the pain you suffered. But I'm desperate to protect my children. In two days, Murphy is going to show-up looking for his money, and when he doesn't find it, he's going to sell myself and my children to traffickers. Do you know what kind of traffickers buy children?"

Emily swallowed and nodded. "Yes, I know."

Ian put a hand on her arm. "I told you, Mrs. O'Connor, I can do nothing for you. I suggest you take what you have and leave Ireland."

"With what money, Mr. Doyle? I'm a widow, I barely makes ends meet."

"Louise," Ian called out, ignoring Kara. "Show Mrs. O'Connor out, please," he directed when the housekeeper appeared at the doorway. He then turned his attention to Emily. "How do you feel, Love?"

She pressed her lips to his. "I'm fine. A little sore, but considering the past week and change, that's pretty good."

"Good," he said, finding her mouth with his. After he broke away, he pulled her flush against his body and rested and arm over her shoulder. "I can hear you thinking, Lauren."

"They're just kids, Ian, and those traffickers will trap them into a life of sexual slavery. We can't let that happen."

"We can't stop Murphy from collecting his debts, it's not our business to interfere in."

"Then we'll give her a loan. Or, I'll give her a loan, if you don't want to." Ian only stared at her, his expression unchanged. Emily sighed. "If it was just her or McNiall, I wouldn't care, Ian. But they're little kids, innocent kids. How can you even stomach the idea of letting that happen to them?"

"I long ago learned to be immune to such things, Love." His fingers tangled in her hair as he released a breath. "But if it upsets you that much, I'll make sure Murphy doesn't touch the children."

"You will?" Emily shifted closer to him, turning her body so that her front was nearly flush with his.

"I promise., I'll take care of it. I don't want you to be thinking of anything but getting better. You're still healing, Lauren."

Emily reached her fingers up to stroke along the sides of his mouth and down over his chin, before pressing her lips to his. "Thank you."

Ian didn't respond verbally, just brushed her lips with his, increasing the force slowly as his hands drifted slowly under the hem of her shirt. His fingers brushed her skin and the kiss grew more feverish, until Ian's left hand hit her wound, causing her to jump. Ian pulled away only slightly, a low rumble in his throat sounding almost like a growl to her ears. "Almost got carried away there, Love."

Emily was still trying to catch her breath and will away the sudden dizziness from the exertion. "Guess I'm not quite ready for that yet," she said.

"Soon enough." He pecked the top of her head.


"You see, Emily today?" Clyde asked as he approached Tsia and Jeremy.

Tsia nodded. "She was on the ground floor today, I think she made it down the stairs on her own."

"How's she look?"

"Tired, but not bad. I think she's got a little more color today," Jeremy said. "They snuggled on the sofa for a while.

"This was after McNiall's sister came and went. Not sure why she was there, since we don't have audio."

"I'm surprised Doyle didn't just shoot her." He paused and when he opened his mouth again, he was cut-off by Tsia.

"Movement," she said. "Looks like Liam's taking a crew somewhere."

Clyde leaned closer to the screen and observed Liam lead a crew out to the garage. Minutes later two dark colored SUVs crawled down the driveway. "Jeremy continue to monitor the house. Tsia with me and Sean."

He hurried to their vehicles, gesturing for the others to each pick a car and follow Doyle's men discretely. It was a relay method. Tsia would start the tail and after a bit, she'd make a turn away from Doyle's people and he'd taken over. He'd do the same and then Sean would take over. It was far less obvious than the same car following them the whole way.

They made their first switch when Liam stopped at McNiall's sister's house and loaded the SUVs with her, her children and some luggage. Tsia drove off away from the house and Clyde drove up two cars behind them. After ten minutes, he let the car behind him pass him, so he was three cars behind Liam. Another fifteen and he made a left turn and Sean pulled out of the next street with a car between him and Liam. When they got to the docks, Sean continued on and Tsia slinked though the area on foot until Liam stopped and she gave them the location.

There was a dark-colored limousine waiting for Liam, who exited the vehicle and held the door open for McNiall's sister. In her arms she held her youngest, a boy of only about four months. Clyde watched as a man in his mid to late thirties and a very expensive suit stepped out of the limo and walked toward Liam. The arms dealer took the baby from his mother and met the wealthy man halfway. The two exchanged several words until the wealthy man looked behind himself at the open limo door and yelled something they couldn't quite here. Another man came out, twenty years-older, less expensively attired and balding and took the baby. He set the infant on the trunk of the limo and unwound the blankets wrapped around his tiny body. After a quick examination, the older man rewrapped the baby, and nodded to the wealthy man. The wealthy man reached into the limo, pulled out a filled paper bag and handed it to Liam. Liam examined the bag and waved the wealthy man and the older man away.

When they entered the limo with the baby and started the car is when McNiall's sister began to panic. Liam's men held her back and she sobbed and cried and begged, and ultimately watched strangers drive away with her youngest child.

"I'm on the Limo," Sean announced before slipping away.

Clyde and Tsia continued to watch and Liam appeared to count out the bulk of the cash, stow a small chunk in one pocket and the rest of it in another pocket, and then hand the bag with the rest to the still sobbing, hysterical woman. They loaded back up into the SUVs and drove toward a mid-sized fishing vessel. Liam got out of the vehicle and met a man there, they spoke for a short time and then Liam pulled out the larger chunk of the cash and handed it to the other man. The other man nodded and gestured to the nearby gangplank. McNiall's sister, still sobbing, climbed out with her four remaining children and ushered them up the gangplank, while Liam's men followed with the luggage. Liam stopped her and handed her a large manilla envelope before she boarded the ship. When all the men had returned to the vehicles, they left and went back to Thollivyn.

When Tsia and Clyde got back to Finnegan Street, Sean was already there. Clyde spoke first. "He used the money to pay for passage on a ship, I assume it's going to America, and I'm guessing forged documents."

"Limo went to a mansion, a woman met the rich fella at the door and gushed all over the baby. Running background on them now, but I'm guessing that's his wife and they couldn't have one of their own," Sean stated.

"So, Doyle made the woman sell one of her children to finance her escape from Ireland?" Tsia asked, her face twisted in disgust.

"She had no choice," Jeremy said. "I got a call from one of the locals while you guys were out. If she didn't come up with the money her idiot brother owed by tomorrow, Dolan Murphy was going to sell her kids to traffickers."

Clyde scoffed. "So Liam gave her a choice, lose your son or watch all five children became sex slaves."

The team all went silent, every one of them considering that, before Jeremy broke it. "I was watching the house, Emily's still pretty weak or in pain, probably both. She only got up half the stairs before Doyle carried her the rest of the way."

"A couple more weeks then," Sean said. "Soon as she's out, a doctor is examining her. A legitimate one, not that hack that Doyle has working for him."

"He might be a hack, but he did save her life." Clyde released a long sigh. "I agree though."